Leave out all the rest
by Gloria Patri
Summary: A young girl ventures into a world that she's never known before her parents' history. She seeks the only person her adoptive parents told her would answer her questions. She never thought that man would ever be her father, though. Hints of KakashixOC


**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto, or anything having to do with it. I do, however, own Yuuko(Hishimoto) and her chicldren, either Kashiori Hishitake and Hiroi Hishimoto(though I don't quite remember if you even hear of him in this..!).

**Sumary: **After Yuuko died(because yes, her death is now official), she left behind a daughter and a son to be raised by people who aren't at all related to her. Hiroi, her youngest son, was left behind in the hands of the Akatsuki, who did nothing more than leave him learn everything for himself. Kashiori, on her part, was left with Kakashi, who later gave her to a couple of newly weds, seeing as he was far too busy to raise a child on his own.

I want to apologize for the many typos you might find; when you spot one, I'd appreciate it if you told me in a review, because I'd also like all of you to review, also. C:

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She had come again, as young as she was, asking questions about her mother. Neither parents knew what to say to the little girl. With wide eyes full of curiosity, she drank her adoptive parents' words. They carefully intructed her to go visit a man in the village, not too far off from one of the family friends. The girl nodded, and, with a large smile and more confidence, bounded off in the streets in hope to find this mystery stranger.  
Maybe he'd known her mother?  
Yes, she reasoned, he must know.  
Otherwise, she wouldn't have been sent to him.

A bleary dark eye blinked, nearly in surprise, when a knock resounded across the small room. He had slept in, again, as he usually did when nothing was really important. No one had really, truly known where he stayed, aside from those two. Even then, he didn't see why they would come on such a short notice. Other than that were the few jounin he knew, as well as Naruto and Sakura... And Tsunade and Jiraya, obviously.  
But what would any of them want with him at this hour? After all, they knew better than to wake him up... He wouldn't answer any questions, would barely speak.  
They'll go away, the thought, if I ignore them.

But the knocks came again, and again. He got up, a little disgruntled. And opened the door.

"Mister Hatake-san, sir?" a voice squeaked, and he frowned. What would such a young child possibly want with him? Especially considering she knew his name, and where he lived, and...

No.  
His single visible eye widened, as he stared at the child standing at his door, wide, emerald eyes staring up at him in wonder.  
No, not just any child, he thought.  
HIS child.

"...What is it...?" he asked in some scruffy voice, clearing his throat and kneeling to be able to look at the girl in her eyes, and to be at her level.

"My parents told me you could answer the questions I had about my mom!" She answered gleefully, her little hands wrung behind her back as she tilted her small head to the side. "Is it okay if I come in, sir?"

Kakashi blinked a few times before getting up and letting the little girl walk in, carefully closing the door behind him. He stared at her in blunt, unhidden curiosity; such a curious and amusing little girl was his daughter..?  
And then he remembered why it was he had such an adorable girl sitting on his bed, swinging her legs anxiously.

She wanted to know about her mother.  
About Yuuko.

"So, what would you like to know...?" Kakashi asked quietly,taking a seat beside the little girl.

"Well, sir, if you don't mind, I'd like proper introductions." The little girl said, her little squeaky voice betraying the obvious role she was trying to play. "My name is Kashiori Hishitake, sir. Pleased to meet you!"

She extended her small little hand, and Kakashi reluctantly shook it. She seemed so fragile, he was almost scared to break her hand. Hishitake... He smirked, behind his mask, finding the name play ridiculous. A mix of Hishimoto, her mother's name, and Hatake, his own. It would take a fool not to notice it.

"Kakashi Hatake. Likewise pleased to meet you, Miss." Kakashi said, his eye curved, the only indication of a smile. "You said you wanted to know about your mother..? What makes you think I would know anything about her?"

Kashiori's smile seemed to flutter into nothingness for a split second. For just that small, nearly non existant moment, she seemed devoid of all emotion, nearly sad. But, as soon as it dissapeared, her smile returned.

"Well, my parents told me you would know, and I don't see why they would lie to me!" She explained in a cheerful tone, placing her hands in her lap.

Kakashi chuckled, barely audible. Clearly the spitting image of her mother, Kakashi thought vaguely. Emerald eyes, an envious personality, and trust that wouldn't be broken. The only sign that he MIGHT be the father, was the color of the young girl's hair. It was, indeed, purple, but greyish at the same time. It was, he pondered, truly a singular and strange hair color.

"First, Mister Hatake sir, could you tell me what her name was?" Kashiori asked, curisity still shining in her eyes, perhaps even more so than when she first saw him and came in.

Kakashi was slightly taken back by this. She had never even so much as been told her mother's name? With good reason, though, he reasoned. Her mother was an S-class missing nin, barely considered a MISSING nin seeing as the woman had never belonged, really, to any vllage in particular. Hence why she had never worn a forehead protector, and why no one could really recognise her...

Though, he didn't know if he could tell her. After all, Kakashi wasn't sure if he was even allowed to so much as TALK to this girl, even if on the streets, for a second or two. Though, he also figured that, if this girl had an immense bond of trust with anyone, she would work to maintain that trust both ways; she would surely keep everything for herself if asked to...

"I can only tell you if you promise never to tell anyone." Kakashi warned, raising a single finger in the air, and frowning to emphasize on the fact that she  
COULD  
NOT  
Say anything to anyone.

"Yes, sir! I promise on my life, sir!"

If only she knew how valuable a life is...

"...Her name was Yuuko. Yuuko Hishimoto." Kakashi started, taking a deep breath before sighing. An other long and painful walk down memory lane.

_"What'll you do after I die today...?" Yuuko whispered, laying in the tainted snow, her head resting on Kakashi's lap. It was little past noon. She hadn't died yet. Though she was frequently switching between consciousness and unconsciousness. _

"...I don't know." Kakashi breathed, looking up at the sun, not really noticing his hand running through the woman's hair. "Depends on what you want me to do, I guess." He shrugged, looking down at her closed eyes. He wondered; had she fallen unconscious again?

"...When I die, I want you to talk to Kashiori about me, okay..? Don't mention my being in the Akatsuki, I don' twant her to grow to hate her mother for what she's done..." Yuuko whispered, a tear or two rolling past her temples. Kakashi wiped them away; she groaned every time she so much as lifted a finger.  
"You know that picture we took at my place...? I gave it to you, remember?" Kakashi nodded here, his eyes narrowing, both revealed, as well as his visage. "I want you to give it to her when she asks for a picture of me."

Yuuko choked a sob, wincing painfully, clutching her slashed chest, no metter how painful it was. She let out three whimpers, one for every person she would truly leave and miss. Kakashi, Kashiori... And her newborn son.

"You don't hate me, right? Please... I didn't know who I was until several days ago, Kakashi, you have to believe me... I don'T WANT to die..." She sobbed, no longer bearing the mask she had built for herself. It had completely shattered, bits and pieces scattering in the wind.

He held her on her arms, just like that, knowing that if he rubbed her back to try to comfort her, she'd most likely claw his eyes out in pain.

"Tell her I love her. I never wanted to leave her. I never meant to be this way, tell her, Kakashi. Promise me you'll tell her. Promise me you'll never stop loving me... Promise..."

Her voice was growing weaker with every word. Kakashi understood that these were her last breaths; he was surprised she'd lasted this long. Then again, the spitfire of a woman never let anything overtake her. Though, this time, he supposed... Death was just too strong for her.

With a last kiss, he let her float up to where she belonged. 

"Well, what else?" Kashiori urged, and, Kakashi noticed, he'd spent several minutes pondering over that last moment with the woman who would've otherwise been his wife, had she continued to live.

"Well..." Kakashi started, trying to find out where to start. "She wasn't from around here. She wasn't really from any village. I know, it sounds strange... So was she. I first met her when she was twenty two. I guess that makes eleven years already..." Kakashi sighed; this really wasn't making him any younger.

"Wooooow! How did you meet her? Where did she come from? I mean, what village did she say she came from? Did she live with you?" So many questions attacked Kakashi's ears; so 'early' in the morning, and he was already bombarded with so many questions... She sighed and got up, putting a term to the child's relentless questionning.

He rummaged through the small drawer of his nightstand, and shrugged as he couldn't find the single thing that would explain everything to this innocent little girl.

"Here. She wanted you to have it." Kakashi said, handing a small frame to the little girl.

There they were, both in front of Yuuko's house, Kakashi's arm around Yuuko's lower back. She was reaching for the camera, glaring at the objective playfully. It was her left hand; a ring was clearly visible around her finger.  
Though, before Kashiori could so much as open her mouth to speak, Kakashi already had begun explaining.

"She never wanted to give you away, Kashiori. Neither did I. But you have to understand that we were both too busy, and taking a child along with us wouldn't but ourselves, and you, in danger... She really did love you, and so do I."

It didn't take long before there was a sobbing little girl hanging from his neck.

Kashiori stared at the picture lovingly. It really was the single most valuable possession she had. It had already been ten years since that day, and in those ten years, she learned many a thing about her mother, Yuuko. How she had an other child, a boy, and how she had been in the Akatsuki. Of course, it had been a shock to the girl, but she had taken it and told herself that she had to have been a strong woman to be considered a threat to anyone, especially Kakashi.

Extracting the picture from its frame, Kashiori stared at the familiar folded piece of paper. She carefully unfolded it, reading the small message for the umpteenth time.

_'Dear Kashiori, _

You don't know me, and I don't know if you ever will. My name if Yuuko; I'm your mother. I want you to keep this picture of your father and I preciously. I want you to know that I love you very much, even though I gave you away. Don't you ever forget that.  
Your brother's name is Hiroi. You might meet him one day; please don't hate him. I can only blame myself for the way he's been raised, if he is, in fact, still alive. Your father, Kakashi, he loves you as well. I hope you don't resent us for our choices.

Eternal love,

Yuuko Hishimoto' 


End file.
